NBA Countdown | Stephen A. reacts to Lakers loss to Celtics 126-115 despite AD’s monster performance

NBA Countdown | Stephen A. reacts to Lakers loss to Celtics 126-115 despite AD’s monster performance

Joe Missoula has talked a lot about how every game is going to be look look different for you guys um doc River said you look like Magic Johnson out there how did this win look like to you with a season i s assist Distributing all game

Uh I don’t know about magic but we you got a dynamic team um you know when we play the right way when we play with Pace it’s very hard to guard us and uh you know we just make the right reads um you know get inside the paint you know

Find open guys we all can shoot make plays uh so it’s just it’s easy to play with these guys all five starters in double figures but it was your defense that helped you guys recontr the game in that second half what did you like about your effort on that end just how we

Responded right we jumped out on them early uh and they’re a really good team they got great players we knew that they were going to respond uh and it’s just a big win right it’s Christmas Day and it’s tough to win on the road so just the way we responded and executed late

In the game and the win now gives you sole possession of the best record in the league are you guys playing your best basketball at this point in the season uh I’m I mean we playing really well but I hope we can get a lot better

Cuz we got a lot of basketball left was this a good win for for your dad happy uh Christmas Happy Christmas perfect Merry Christmas NBA Countdown alongside Stephen A Smith Michael wilbon Kendrick Perkins I’m Malika Andrews we hope you all are enjoying your holiday with some family some friends and some good Hoops

Jaylen Brunson lit up Madison Square Garden then Jamal Murray and Nicola yic overpowered the Golden State Warriors next up we have the Sixers in Miami to take on the heat but we start our show with a rivalry renewed just across the street and Stephen A you said that if

Chris porzingis played in this one you were going with them well they started out hot from three jayen Brown gets this one to go well Jaylen Brown that was a big time shot by him overall this is what Boston’s going to do they going to launch Threes And if they make them

Nobody has a chance LeBron James little back door cut there can’t quite get that to go let’s take one more look at that Chris EP porzingis doing it all on both ends I believe I said that Chris ABS porzingis was my tiebreaker and Stephen

A made fun of me on Christmas Day is in a very grinch-like way no Grinch in me all right well since there’s no Grinch in you Stephen Smith what did you learn about the Celtics in this Christmas day well I just think that they’re the best team in basketball I

Don’t care what anybody says I mean when you look at the Denver Nuggets did a riging defending NBA champions I would say they were very lucky they ran into the Miami Heat and the NBA Finals because Boston didn’t handle their business remember Jason Tatum got hurt you know one of the first offensive

Plays in that game seven uh Eastern Conference Finals game but look at Boston right now the acquisition of Chris steps porzingis a 73 shot blocker who can step away from the basket and hit threes he had 28 and 11 this afternoon against the Los Angeles Lakers

Give credit what credits doe see what he is Jason Tatum had his 25 points no matter how great LeBron James has been he wasn’t the biggest star on the floor today even with Anthony Davis dropping 40 yep and 13 it wasn’t enough but the question is Kendrick Perkins you’ve been

A skeptic you’ve been hesit you’ve been waiting to fully jump in on the Celtics are you in a Christmas miracle yeah I jumped off the porch today well this weekend I mean they they came in LA and did a clean sweep in great fashion first

It was the Clippers and I don’t give a damn that people talking about it have kaai they still would have smack the Clippers and they did that to the Lakers here’s what I’m looking at I’m looking at this lineup when they start quot unquote small with Pingas at the five

They’re really not small because they got great rebounding goal Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s going to hit the glass Drew holler has seven boyss tonight right and then when I think about what they do they’re going to push the pace they’re going to attack downhill and they’re going to look for

Those threes and they’re going to keep shooting them and they got guys that can actually knocked them down Derek white has been unbelievable I we keep we talk about one of the most underrated players in the game today yeah like he could really be a second option on a really

Good team if we go just compare rosters I’m not going to disagree with the word you guys said about Boston and what they’ve gotten how complete they are with size and versatility and defending and three-point Obsession which you and I are a little annoyed with but it seems

To be working for the most part but I’m old school the Champs are the Champs they played a pretty hot Warriors team today uh they played pretty well I know Klay did not have the shooting game that we’ve been used to see three of 12 nine points right but you you know what

When you have Jamal Murray playing like that with the bounce and his step that he had three four years ago they still the champ Stephen A here’s my only push back when it comes down to Denver and I said this if Denver get home court throughout the playoffs then they’re

Dangerous but if they don’t and the Celtics get the home court it’s a problem we’re going to be talking about the Nuggets a little bit more later in the show in the meantime Tyler hero and the Miami Heat getting ready for their game NBA Insider Bill Ryder on on the

Heels of two really actually several exciting NBA Christmas Day games but we’re going to talk about a couple of them beginning with that story rivalry between Boston and La the team that entered Christmas day with the best record in the East continued to roll against the Lakers Bill how about this

Stat they’re 15- one when Tatum Brown porzingis holiday and white all play together what is it about this combination that just makes them so tough to beat I I think it’s overwhelming talent and and so many fast of the game that are covered by by that five by those guys you’re talking

Offensive Firepower you’re talking three-point shooting you’re you’re talking defensive excellent you’re talking especially with por zingas add to the mix just size and height and and length just offer a a different profile a different reality ingredient into that equation I was sitting here thinking as you were

Talking I was sort of ruminating on this game I gotta start booking it’s a little early but I think it’s time even though it’s Chris start booking my finals travel for Boston get those good hotels locked in CU as good as Milwaukee is and some other teams right now Boston looks

Head and Shoulders to me at least not just above everybody in the East but everybody in the entire NBA in large park because as you noted the depth of this team and the talent is just absolutely intimidating and outstanding uh yeah listen bill as an avid traveler

Get those deals in while you can while they’re pretty cheap especially if Boston keeps rolling the way that they’re doing right now but how about the team on the other side of things the Lakers lost five of six what is not clicking for them right now since they won that inseason

Tournament yeah I just think from a roster construction perspective they’re just not good enough to compete at the levels they want which is let’s let’s be frank it’s the level the Boston Celtics are at top team in the NBA if both Anthony Davis and LeBron James aren’t playing utterly fantastic basketball and

That’s a lot to ask of at least LeBron who’s almost 40 years old I mean the guy turns what 3839 did this month so Anthony Davis was outstanding in the game you look at LeBron ‘s box score right he was he was really good you know sort of flirting

With that triple double area but he wasn’t able to be utterly dominant and when that happens this is a team that is not been consistent defensively they haven’t scored enough points the three-point shooting hasn’t been at the same level some of the guys last year that really were not Allstar level but

Just below that really important players have taken a couple steps back and so at least for right now when ad and LeBron can’t do what they did in the inseason tournament where they those two guys dominate night after night the Lakers are what we saw tonight which is which

Is average and that does not live up to the expectations of the purple and gold here in LA and certainly of LeBron James as his career at some point this year the next year’s comes to or near a close Okay but we’ve seen stretches like you just talked about the inseason

Tournament where we’ve seen LeBron hot we’ve seen ad hot and both of them are are just collaborating together what needs to happen for this this Lakers team to maybe turn that corner and maybe LeBron kind of finish his career whenever that does happen at least on a

High level it’s a great question you know and it’s worth making a point because I’ve covered LeBron my entire career moved to Miami to cover him when he first went to the Heat and it is true and Lakers fans will tell you this LeBron James teams start really slowly

They have been under 500 under 500 in January and made it to the NBA finals they’ve had slow starts so there’s certainly time for them to turn it around that maybe that’ll happen in January or February the answer to the question I think is Austin Reed has got

To play better d’angel Russell’s got to be better they’ve got to get back to that defensive identity top 10 defensive rated level team which they can do it’s about effort energy we saw last year and then LeBron James just has to be able to be outstanding and remarkable maybe more

Often and earlier over the course of a season and in the past LeBron’s the kind of guy he he’s talked about this he knows his body he knows his age when he has the right team around him and doing the things that we’re talking about he

Can take his foot off the gas a little bit and he can wait to really apply that level of LeBron James goat Excellence until March till April he would prefer till May when you’re in the postseason then you’ve got this long Marathon for a championship so they need better play

From their their guys not named ad and LeBron they’ve got to be better defensively and if that doesn’t happen you’re going to see LeBron probably exert himself more in the regular season than he wants which could have an impact on what he’s able to do when we get to

Postseason basketball but just looking at the history and what you just mentioned maybe uh this LeBron Le team starting off slow maybe picking up in that second half Bill I’m just going to put it out there I I’m run kind of slow too in the holidays so maybe things will

Turn the corner the New Year all right well we talk about the Lakers maybe being A little sluggish how about the Nuggets they stay hot they’re when they get their F destroy Tower i’ got eyes and ears everywhere defeated an enemy your team has destroyed the Tower For For Me eny ultimate your tower has been destroyed our base is under Attack executed oure Tower i’ got eyes and ears Tower is under attack an Enemy our base Tower is under attack Tower destroyed a tower our base is under attack our base is under Attack Fore right you right

NBA Countdown | Stephen A. reacts to Lakers loss to Celtics 126-115 despite Anthony Davis’ 40 PTS monster performance